Illuminated license plate



April 14, 1931. c. A. CARLSON ILLUMINATED LICENSE PLATE Filed May 11,1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l S n 0 N 1% M M T A m A V n 4 a C- Y B April 14,1931. c. A. CARLSON ILLUMINATED LICENSE PLATE Filed May ll, 1927 2Sheets-Sheet 2 P IE INVENTOR 8 Car/ ,4. Car/50H i/s ATTORNEYS PatentedApr. 14, 1931 CARL CAR-LSON, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA ILLUMINATEDLICENSE PLATE Application filed May 11 My invention relates particularlyto license plates such as are used on automobiles and refersparticularly to means for rendering the license numbers contained on theplate readily visible at night.

'An object of my invention is to provide an illuminated license platewhich is adapted for use with all typesof vehicles.

Another object'of my invention is to provide an illuminated licenseplate in which the license number is cheaply and effectively installed.

An additional object of my invention is to provide means whereby thelicense plateonce illuminated cannot be extinguished from within thevehicle to which it is attached.

My invention possesses other advantageous features, some of which withthe foregoing, will be set forth at length in the following descriptionwhere I shall outline in full that form ofthe illuminated license plateof my invention, which I have selected for illustration in the drawingsaccomp anying and forming part of the present specification. In saiddrawings, I have shown one form of the license plate embodying myinvention, but it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to suchform since the invention asset forth inthe claims, may be embodied in aplurality of forms.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a front elevation of one form of theilluminated license plate of my invention, portions being broken away toreveal the interior thereof.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectionof the illuminated license plate, theplane of section being indicated by the line 2+2" of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of a fragmentary portion of theburner'portionof my license plate.

Fig. 4 is a cross section of the illuminated license plate, the plane ofsection being indicated by line 4c-4of Fig. 1.

'Fig. 5 showsinelevation'the interior of a 1927. Serial No. 190,435.

preferred form of electric switch for .use with the license plate.

Fig. 6 isa cross section on the line 66 of Fig. 5.

P Fig. 7 is a cross section on the line 77 of Fig. 8 is a circuitdiagram disclosing the method of installation of the electric switch.

The illuminated license plate of my invention preferably comprises ahousing provided with a source of illumination to illuminate a licensenumber preferably printed on a piece of translucent paper and includesan electric switch which preferably can be en ergized from the driversposition in the vehicle but cannot be deenergized from that position.

Most localities require vehicles, such as automobiles, to have a licensenumber or license plate exposed at the front and at the rear of eachvehicle. I therefore preferably provide a pair of housings forcontaining the illuminated license plate of my invention and since thehousings are preferably identical I shall describe but one of them. Eachhousing 6, preferably comprises an arcuate rear wall and top and bottomwalls 7 and 8, respectively. The remaining portion of the housing isclosed by a door 9, which includes a frame 11 of metallic shapessuitably secured together. The frame is provided along its upper edgewith a number of pins 12 adapted to seat in cooperating apertures formedin a bracket 13 secured to the top wall 7. The lower end of the frame issecured by a pivot 14 to a latch 16, in turn pivoted, as at 17, t0 thehousing 6. The lower end of the latch is notched and is engaged by anadjustable thumb wheel 18. \Vhen the thumb wheel is released, a liftingmotion of the latch 16 raisesthe-door and permits the pins 12 to belifted from the bracket 13 thereby permitting the entire door to swingdownwardly. The door frame preferably carries the license number and isprovide with a sp ced terial preferablyfglass. The sheets. are

7 clamped in thevframe 11 by readily removable brackets 22. The licensenumber is" preferablyprinted on translucent paper by 'means of a" semiopaque pigment and the printed sheet is retained in position by being ap to permit the'ready' escape of .products of held between the twosheets 19 and 21. The

j licensefnumber being enclosedbetween two sheetsof glass is protectedfrom the climate and being easily printed on-paper,'its cost of preduction-isslight Means are 'provided'for i illuminating "licensenumber and preferably includea plus-'7 rality of sources a of light. The{several sources of illumination arei'usually not'operatedsimultaneously but "are prefer-ably 0f different kinds to render theummi ateuu cense'plate adaptable to a'gyariety of ivehicles,

Most'automobiles are provided with an else tric lighting system which awill 'perm'it the a use of' an electric light globe, but otherweff Ihicles,-such as trucksianditrailers are not always so provided andacetylene gasor 'oo'al-' oil; must 1 be usedtior "illumination purposes;Preferably, therefore, I provide three'sour'ces oi -illumination sothatmy illuminated license plate can 'be irnmediately attached to any a typeofvehicleg a e I The lower-wall 8 of lthe housing, is aperturedjadjacent its center iwithin the confines" of aesurrounding;collar"25. Thevcollar is adapted itomakeabayonet connection fwith a j}receiver'l 2'ofgenerally icylindrical shape 2 which l'carries a springin its. bottom] to sup; I

port aicontainerfl'lior kerosene; The con Itainer canfconvenientlybeaglass jar making a sn'ugfit withinthereceiver 24 and'carrylng at itsupperrim;a gaslietflsrto preclude posi sibility of leakage; Intoithereceptacle 27,

aqlwick 29 projectsm The Lwick extends into a cylindricalbarrel '31upstanding from the bottom 8"of the casing and registering with theaperturetliru whichthe wick passes? A needle'32 'e xtendsithruf a slotin the side of :thebarrel-"51 and engages the wick. A ful-' cram-331sprovidediior 'the needle to permit a hand or finger adjustment 34'toralter' the height ofthe'wick: The bayonet connection makes it atsimple 'inatter to detach the con tainer 2' Z te-replenishf'the supplyof kerosene? Afstrap 86 having an offset portion therein is v providedadabasegfor'the acetylene burner and issuitably aperturedtobegrippedby-the burneri37. A tube :38; passing 'to a suitable V source ofacetylene, not shown, enters the" I j base off-the burner'37andsuppliesgas to the burner;tip:'39;-of'the conventional kind.

' I .;j. i-rlong sidetheburner-37'and forming paru 1 r of the-strap 86;isfanfadjustableloop; 4L1." of a i suitab-lejsizfe to-grip r a'socket5A2 iorgan elec-i triclight globe-f Electrical: conductors l and-4:5: extend from the socket 46 secured initheji'housing 6-riand{. makingsuitable'leleca tjrlical connections with' t lie globe 48;; lnthe l"tohinder hit-run drivers," 1 The circuit diagram-for such=anelectrical" system issdisclose'dparticularlyin Fig. "8 in which .Ihaveindicated two license-platehouswall 6 of the housing acent thekeroseneand-acetyleneburners, an aperture 47 is out to permit the insertion ofamatch or other lightingmeans; A spring 48 normally closes a sliding door49 closing the aperture 47. In

the top'ZIof the housing above'the kerosene topermit its being readreadily at'night. V I

illuminated by: a control." convenient :to i the cient amounttoflight tothe license :plate preferably use the electric lights, but in in- Vstances where ,there isQno electrical system or in'which'i't is 'desiredto conserve electricity the acetylene or keroseneburners. will driverofthelvehicle randlpreferably installed in the drivers compartment, but"which ,ren-' ders it impossible to extinguish-the;illumii1a-=- tionwithout having access'to thelicense plate housing. This is especially:ad-vantageousto prevent people operatingivehicles after dark withoutproperly, illuminated a license fplates and secondly-1130.. prevent.,them fro1n1 ex tin-guishing their lighted: license plates :with-;'-out first being forced to bring the vehicle to i a"- halts- T his systemis r-in'tl'ended primarily ings ,6 provided with" electric; globes 43.1:In

thefciroui't of'jeach globe is preferably a storage; battery! 52 whichis connected toaipai-r :of :movable'contacts 54;: and 5.5 vb'y' -in'eansof a] manually operated switch- 53, preferably "10 I cated convenienttothevehicleidriver. Or-1:. dinarily thejfingers 5iand;55,;aresufliciently resilient'to, remain inicontact and permit-thepassage of current; From the fc0ntact 55 a,

to {be translated axially. The armature car 7 wire 57 leads thru anelectromagnetic coil 8 t a-L QndH tOI .59; 1 I 9te f1t -.l1h

riesintermediateits ends a collar-62 onwhicha; conducting :disc- 631 issituated; The conducting disc is adapted to bridge;.apairof contacts 64;and 65; one ,of-which; is connected to thejbattery and-theoth'er ofwhichlleads .to I

fthe conductorsfi connected to?the;lights 43.1

the, de la e-magnet is energized, the armature is; axiallyidisplacledfandqthe contact disc 63 completes the circuit thrufQOntacts'd1655snermitt ngicnr ent l c-flow from in, attery: an energ ze b thglobes Means are providedfcrretaining; the icons.

(ill

even though the electro-magnet 58 may not be energized. A pivoted latch67 is springpressed to drop across the end of the armature 61 as soon asthe armature has been displaced toward the electro-magnet. The latchtherefore prevents return axial movement of the armature and at the sametime displaces the contact to open the circuit between the contact 55and the contact 54. The circuit is therefore completed thru the contacts64 and to the lights 43 and any manipulation of the switch 53 isineffective to extinguish the lights. The vehicle operator isconsequently powerless to extinguish the lights from his seat. Thespring-pressed latch 67 is provided with a manually operable release 68located remotely from the drivers compartment and preferably situated onthe housing 6. Operation of the release 68 returns the latch 67 to itsinitial position against the action of a spring, permits the contacts 54and 55 again to touch and opens the contact between the disc 63 and thepoints 64 and 65. The system is therefore immediately returned to itsinitial position so that the vehicle operator can energize or illuminatethe license plates from his seat. It is, however, necessary for him toleave his seat and extinguish the license plate globes by manipulatingthe manual release 68 located on the license casing. It is thereforeimpossible for a hit-run driver to extinguish his lights and steal awayfrom the scene of an accident without first stopping his car to do so.

My invention has therefore been described as an illuminated licenseplate which includes a cheaply produced license number illuminated forbetter vision both at night and in the daytime and provided not onlywith means rendering it immediately attachable to and operable on anytype of vehicle, but also preventing interruption of the license plateillumination except by a person proximate the license plate housing.

I claim:

1. An illuminated license plate comprising a housing having an arcuaterear wall, a pair of translucent plates forming one side of said housingopposite said rear wall, a sheet of paper bearing printed indiciainterposed between said plates, said housing having a flat bottom wall,a source of light fixedly mounted on said bottom wall in said housingbetween said arcuate wall and said plates, a fuel receiver for saidlight source, means for detachably securing said receiver to saidhousing exteriorly of said housing.

2. An illuminated license plate comprising a housing having an arcuaterear wall, a flat bottom wall, a translucent plate bearing indiciacarried by the front wall, a depending collar mounted on said bottomwall exteriorly of the housing, a fuelreceiver detachably carried bysaid collar exteriorly of said housing and an illumination fuel burnerfixedly carmy hand.

CARL A. CARLSON.

